This food blog is now closed and will not be further updated. Unfortunately I have lost the passion and interest to continue as a food blogger, and I rather focus my time and energy on other things instead. One day I may blog again, but it will be for a different passion.

Thank you for checking out my reviews in the past few years! It’s been a blast.

]]>https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2016/10/21/5873/feed/0kkptsegoodbyeHighwood (SAIT)https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/highwood-sait/
https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/highwood-sait/#respondMon, 22 Feb 2016 16:53:16 +0000http://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/?p=5688Continue reading →]]>It hurts me to write this review. I don’t really know why our experience is so much different than everyone else’s on here, but wow… what a disappointing dining experience. Perhaps our friends have hyped it up too much for us. Perhaps our expectations were set way too high. We keep making excuses in different scenarios yet I cannot get over the fact how much I disliked tonight’s dinner. Here’s the full scope…

Highwood is a dining room on the SAIT Campus where most of the “staff” are students currently enrolled in their programs so they all have different roles. As such, because I thought they are actually learning how to work in a restaurant, I expected the experience to be perfect. Instead my friends and I kept discussing on the various things that happened or didn’t. Here are some examples:
• Water glasses were never automatically refilled.
• Wine glasses were not removed until much later even though we indicated we did not want wine.
• Empty bread platter sat for a long time, was asked twice if we wanted more bread to which we indicated no, but it was not removed until the end! Neither were the little side plates.
• A butter spreader was given to my friend as her knife who ordered the tuna entree.
• Our server kept dropping our utensils every time he cleared our plates. Like, I mean every single time.

Yes, these are my very critical notes. However, I thought these are things that should have more carefully attended to because that’s what you’re learning in this program. Am I wrong?

Starter Bread

A nice variety but all served cold… my favorite was the cornbread.

Duck Croquette

This was a great starter and we thought it would be a good indicator of how the rest of the meal would go, but boy… were we wrong. However, the croquettes were nicely flavorful and fried just lightly. I especially enjoyed that large chunk of duck breast but I did find it a tad too rare.

Raw Carte

This was the special from the raw carte and it was something of a scallop carpaccio.

Mushroom “Pho”

So when our server was pouring the broth, he just kind of dumped it out and roughly knocked everything apart. I was expecting something like at Q Haute where the servers would carefully tip the pitcher, let the broth slowly flow out and then pour it in circular motions around the saucer.

This was awkward to eat. The broth was definitely not good. I’m not sure what it really tasted like except it did not taste like the usual pho broth. It’s interesting to note that the “pho” is a sheet of rice paper wrapped up. I didn’t really enjoy the presentation It was also quite salty. Our server saw that we left more than half of the broth behind and asked us what didn’t we like about it, and we gave him our honest opinions. He said he would tell the kitchen. At that point I would expect someone to come talk to us about it but no one came by.

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Soup of the night. RW said it tasted like broccoli and cheddar. That’s a good thing I guess?

Miso Glazed Tofu Salad

K’s salad. She didn’t like the grilled pear and the dressing (whatever it was) was too sweet and was not a good complement to the already sweet pear.

Beef Carpaccio Salad

I quite liked the innovative presentation of this salad but sadly, the flavors were not there. The salad was very lightly dressed and the beef was very bland.

Seared Albacore Tuna

By the looks of it, I thought the tuna chunks were too thick and seared too much.

Alberta Striploin

This is where things went even more south… like really south. I have never had a piece of steak as tough as this. While I’ve never ate shoe leather before, I could not help but compare this to it. You cannot convince me that this is striploin, and if it was, it must’ve been a really cheap cut that was sliced wrong. Despite of the pretty grill marks, the steak was overcooked to my liking. Then that medallion on the right side was the short rib but it tasted sweet and jerky like. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t send this back… maybe because we waited so long for our mains that I didn’t want to wait any further for a different one.

Monte Crisco – $5.00

This was extra from the set menu, but we did enjoy watching the student making it! I will have to say their alcohol prices are actually really low comparing to other restaurants. Like pretty much all other restaurants.

Honey Apple

Lemon Meringue

Honey soaked cake with olive ice cream

Chocolate Passion

When dessert ends up being the best course of your meal, you know there is a problem… everything was pretty good except for the rosemary ice cream in the first one and the olive ice cream in the third – a bit too exotic for me.

We were pretty tired near the end (entire meal took over three hours) and then our server came by and see if we wanted anything else. We simply asked for our bills and said we’re all paying separately. He runs off, comes back five minutes later and actually asked us how we’re splitting it. Um… RW and AC ordered the monte crisco, K and I didn’t, so how do you think we should split it? Another two minutes went by he comes back with the billfolds where we quickly place our credit cards in and he runs off again. Yet another minute later he comes back and tells us to go pay at the front as the lady there has a few questions she wants to go over with us. Ok… we thought we were expected to do an evaluation of some sort. Nope. We stood in line to pay with zero verbal exchange with said lady. Wow. I really, really wish we could’ve done an evaluation but we got the message that they didn’t care or wasn’t looking for feedback.

This was an absolute disappointing meal. The food was not good and I felt that we paid way too much for what we received. It is very unlikely that I will return even though I was looking forward to trying the lunch buffet one day…

]]>https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/highwood-sait/feed/0Highwood - Duck CroquettekkptseHighwood - Bread BasketHighwood - Raw Carte - ScallopHighwood - Mushroom “Pho” (1)Highwood - Mushroom “Pho” (2)Highwood - Broccoli Cheddar SoupHighwood - Miso Glazed Tofu SaladHighwood - Beef Carpaccio Salad (1)Highwood - Beef Carpaccio Salad (2)Highwood - Seared Albacore TunaHighwood - Alberta Beef StriploinHighwood - Monte CristoHighwood - Honey AppleHighwood - Lemon MeringueHighwood - SpecialHighwood - Chocolate PassionThe Highwood Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoAmbrosia Veggie Househttps://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/ambrosia-veggie-house/
https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/ambrosia-veggie-house/#respondSat, 20 Feb 2016 19:31:20 +0000http://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/?p=5662Continue reading →]]>I have to say, being a vegetarian nowadays is probably much easier than back in the old days (how long ago, can’t say. Just making an assumption). Vegetarian food can be so versatile and it’s no longer just tofu and greens, although a lot of mock meat is still made with tofu or soy protein components. I went on a vegetarian diet for 30 days and it actually went pretty well! I did not stuff myself with carbs this time around but I’ll say this… tofu does not fill you up for long! And I don’t like beans. So I would fail miserably if I were to give up meat for life.

There’s not many vegetarian restaurants in town, but one such one would be Ambrosia Veggie House, who serves Pan Asian Chinese Vegetarian Food. They are both vegan and vegetarian, and has a pretty vast menu! I find their location interesting as it’s located on the side of Avatamsaka Sagely Monastery (華嚴聖寺) – I’m not sure if the monastery opened the restaurant.

My family decided to try out the restaurant with me. Here’s what we ordered:

Spring Rolls – $4.75

I didn’t try these but I imagine they were just simply stuffed with vegetables. Served with plum dipping sauce.

Satay Skewers – $6.75

These were made with very firm soy nuggets and was on the spicy side!

Crunchy Seaweed Sticks – $8.75

These were seaweed wrapped firm soy nuggets, deep fried, and coated in a sweet and sour sticky sauce. I enjoyed the chewiness of this.

Mashed Potato Tofu Pockets – $12.75

Bean curd sheets stuffed with mashed potato and then deep fried – they were nicely flavorful but the bean curd sheets were way too chewy. I think if they can use something else, like a puff pastry to get that nice, melt in your mouth texture, then this would be a lot easier and enjoyable to eat.

Jade Rolls – $12.75

I’m no stranger to this. These are vegetable stuffed bean curd rolls which I used to eat a lot of. I love that savoury gravy that atop it!

Sweet and Sour Bean Curd Rolls – $12.75

This is pretty close to the real thing with all the right flavors and vegetables that normally come in a sweet and sour pork dish!

Lettuce Wrap – $14.75

I thought the faux meat mixture was done really well (tasted really good on rice), but was a bit taken back with the five lettuce leaves they provided. Yes, five. We had eight people – six adults minus my two kids. I’m pretty sure lettuce is cheap…

Stir Fried Mixed Greens – $10.75

A plate of Shanghai bok choy sauteed with a good amount of wok “hei”.

Eight Treasures Tofu Hotpot – $14.75

This was kind of bare. They didn’t substitute anything for the “meat” so it was just tofu and vegetables.

Shanghai Style Chow Mein – $10.75

Your standard Shanghai noodles, minus the meat.

Assorted Fried Rice – $10.75

A simple vegetable fried rice with faux meat bits. This was particularly tasty for some reason, and my brother’s gf mentioned that it was fried with a lot of oil… ah, that’s probably why. And it also had really good wok “hei” too!

This was actually a very tasty meal, but it is on the pricier side as portions were also on the small side. However, it takes a lot more effort to turn something non meat to make it taste somewhat like meat!

I’ve had this somewhere else before and actually wanted to try it again, so here we are. The kinpira here is burdock root and carrots in a sesame soy sauce. I like that it’s lightly sweet with a very subtle hint of spice. The texture is slightly chewy but if you have strong teeth then you have nothing to worry about.

Tomo Salad – $7.95

I must always get a salad! Well, I got this because of the yuzu dressing. It was nicely citrusy and perfectly dressed. My daughter ate all the tofu on my behalf (not because I didn’t like them – it was because she liked them) but I don’t believe it was house made.

Tuna Yukke – $6.95

On their menu it said this was a tartar, but what we got was more like a tuna paste. I honestly could not tell you what the seasoning was. It was decent and probably my least favorite dish of the night.

Toro Sashimi – $12.95

Ultra-fresh, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth tuna belly. Mmmmmmm!

California Roll with Masago – $6.95

This of course was for my son and he was pretty happy with the heaps of tobiko! The fake crab mixture was very creamy.

Niku Udon – $10.95

My mom always love her noodle soup and decided to try this. She really enjoyed it and cleaned the bowl. I tried a little bit of everything and thought it was a nice tasting bowl of udon – the broth was really light and flavorful.

Gyoza – $6.95

We got this for my mom and daughter to share. They were pretty decent gyoza but presentation definitely stood out more!

Chicken Karaage – $8.95

The chicken karaage here is one of the best I’ve ever tried. It’s very lightly battered chunks of dark meat, but what’s special is you can choose how you want to season it. I went with the negi-shio and when you first bite into it, you get a sharp taste of the salt, but after that it just becomes pleasant to eat. Mmmmmmm.

Ice Cream Sandwich – $6.95

Of course we had to end with dessert. I was sad when the server told us that they ran out of green tea ice cream for the night but they still had salted caramel, vanilla and yuzu mint. I went with the yuzu mint and did not regret my choice. I found the mint flavor stronger than the yuzu but nonetheless it was really good, and I like that it wasn’t very sweet. The “sandwich” is housemade pancakes – all served with a dollop of whipped cream, red bean paste and two pieces of mochi.

We left happily with a full tummy and drove home. Service was really good and this is a really busy restaurant, given their small size. Be sure to make reservations or you’ll be waiting for a long time. I would definitely come back again!

This is one of the best pasta dishes, ever. You get such a hearty portion of everything and the cream sauce is just flavored spot on! The pasta, although not handmade (can you even get handmade pasta at that price?), is perfectly cooked to al dente. The sauce is creamy but not heavy, and not too strong on the garlic. The salmon is cooked just right and not dry at all. Oh man, I’m thinking about how tasty this is as I’m typing up my post. I should’ve gotten a few orders to go and stock them in my freezer!

Sadly, I was not wow’ed by this. I know it’s been two years since I’ve had it, but I’m so sure they changed the recipe for the chicken. It just did not taste the same and I didn’t really want to eat it anymore after the first bite. I’m not saying it wasn’t good but I didn’t like the spice they used. The waffles were also a bit hard.

Cinnamon Bun – $4.25

Every single table had at least one order of this (to stay or to go) so I decided to try it out. It was soft, pillowy, and not very sweet. Definitely much better than the ones at the mall!

2 Eggs Any Style – $82 eggs, bacon or sausage, potatoes, toast

Simple breakfast for my son. My favorite part was actually the potatoes – they were seasoned very nicely and cooked just to the right doneness!

The restaurant has a very relaxed atmosphere and is very family friendly. It was pretty busy on the day we went and at around 11:00am, most people were still enjoying breakfast. I made sure we got there around 10:45am just so we could get the lunch items as the lunch menu starts at 11:00am! I’m sad that I didn’t like the chicken and waffles this time, but I will definitely return again (and again) for that pasta!

]]>https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/13/sugarbowl/feed/0SB - Chicken WafflekkptseSB - Salmon LinguineSB - Chicken WaffleSB - Cinnamon BunSB - 2 Eggs BreakfastSugarbowl Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoChin Keehttps://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/13/chin-kee/
https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/13/chin-kee/#respondSun, 13 Sep 2015 20:18:56 +0000http://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/?p=5631Continue reading →]]>I am pretty bored of all the Chinese restaurants in Calgary, but Edmonton is certainly an untapped market for me (lol). So when we met up with our cousins for dinner, there was no doubt that it would be at a Chinese restaurant. It’s not really my choice but when you have a large group it seems to make sense – especially budget wise! Chin Kee was picked because it was sort of close to our hotel, but with a vehicle you can pretty much go anywhere. I will say that I find everything in Edmonton really spaced out. I was trying to find a GoodLife around the hotel and the closest one was more than 20 minutes away. Even a yoga studio showed it to be minutes away on google map, but to actually drive there… it didn’t seem like it was a short trip.

Here’s what we tried tonight. I believe my aunt chose a group dinner with the oysters as an add-on.

Pan Seared Oysters in Port Wine (砵酒生蠔)

My aunt ordered these since she found out that I like oysters (it’s a known fact if you’re my foodie friend, but my family doesn’t really know since it’s not a dish that ever gets ordered). These were nicely meaty and fried fairly well, although I thought they were a bit small in size. The sauce was slightly sticky and savoury.

Braised Beef Brisket and Tendon in Clay Pot

This is usually hubby’s favorite dish, but soon I noticed chunks of tendons in it and when I went to dig one out, my eyes sparkled. There were HUGE chunks of soft, gooey tendons throughout. Oh man. They were so good and cooked just right. The brisket was tender and meaty! Mmmmmm. The sauce was just right with a good amount of beefy flavors.

Deep Fried Pork Chop with Water Chestnut Cake Clusters

The pork chop was meaty, tender (not over tenderized) and not too heavily battered. It was tossed in a sweet mayo type of sauce that I am suspecting it was flavored with water chestnuts (I really don’t know, I never actually looked at the menu). I say that because the little clusters were small chunks of what seemed like water chestnut cakes. They weren’t too sweet and I thought they were interesting!

Seafood Fried Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf

Seafood fried rice wrapped in lotus leaf to get that nice fragrant smell to it. I don’t think it made it taste any better but the fried rice was pretty decent.

Salt Baked Chicken

I think. That’s what it tasted like anyway. I think this was the only dish I didn’t really enjoy that night as it was way too salty and the chicken itself wasn’t very good.

Steamed Fish

Simply steamed with ginger and scallions. This simple dish always taste good as long as the fish is fresh.

Stir Fried Gai Lan with Beef

The gai lan was a bit past its prime that night as the texture was a bit gritty. There wasn’t very much beef slices throughout but I think we had enough meat dishes already, haha!

Pumpkin Tapioca Dessert

I hate places that serve the red bean dessert soup because a) it’s boring and unimaginative and b) most places don’t make a good one. So I was pretty happy when they serve a pretty tasty tapioca dessert with chunks of pumpkin. It wasn’t overly sweet too!

I thought the food tonight was pretty decent and I think our bill was about $100? Service was pretty good and we had a free show too… well, not quite. We were all eating when a very loud thump caught our attention… so we turned around and saw a couple of guys punching the bejesus out of each other in the doorway of the restaurant. I was like what the f—. The server seemed pretty calm and went inside the kitchen to grab the cook and he went out to settle things. It seems like it has happened before, but we were definitely a bit startled. When we left an hour later the guys (obviously drunk) were standing outside making up… well, I’m glad that went well!

]]>https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/13/chin-kee/feed/0CK - Beef Clay PotkkptseCK - OystersCK - Beef Clay PotCK - Pork ChopCK - Fried RiceCK - ChickenCK - FishCK - Beef Gai LanCK - DessertChin Kee Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoKyotohttps://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/kyoto/
https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/kyoto/#respondSun, 13 Sep 2015 04:47:09 +0000http://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/?p=5621Continue reading →]]>I will always look for a place to eat sushi on every trip. Given that Kyoto has been on my radar for quite some time, I decided to finally make it happen this time. I was mainly drawn to the low prices and good variety of dishes, but I have to say that overall the whole meal was not that satisfying.

Here’s what we tried:

Sashimi Boat – $26.00

My mom and I decided to try a variety of sashimi. We weren’t interested in any of the lunch combos and decided the small sashimi boat should be more than enough. Here we have salmon (5), tuna (5) , octopus (2), red snapper (2), herring & roe (3), scallop (2), surf clam (1), raw prawn (1) with deep fried head (the BEST part). Really good value, and everything was actually pretty fresh!

Chop Chop Temaki – $4.80

This was pretty darn good – not filled with rice and there was chopped scallop all the way to the tip of the cone! The scallop was creamy and it wasn’t too heavy on the mayo either.

Toro Nigiri (2 pcs) – $4.80

Nicely thick and lightly seared, this was just ok. The toro wasn’t very fatty.

Small Kyoto Special Salad and Chawanmushi – $11.00

I needed a salad, and didn’t want the full size one as it would’ve been too much. I liked this half and half combo since the chawanmushi would be perfect for my daughter! So, that salad. It was really interesting, and not in a good way. It had a small mixture of spring mix, topped with berries, broken pieces of instant ramen (they called it baked noodles on the menu, but let’s be honest…), walnuts, and tossed in a light vinaigrette. On the side of a plate there was a smear of hot mustard/wasabi sauce… everything just seemed so random and didn’t go together. It was one of the strangest salads I’ve ever encountered. For the chawanmushi, I expected a silky smooth, soft tofu like texture. This seemed overcooked – the texture was firm and dense.

California Roll (full) – $12.00

Obviously I got this for my son, but I failed to read that it was made with real crab. You’d think I would be happy with that, but the crab was really fishy… and I’m not sure why they put cooked spinach inside. As I’ve said in the past, I like my California Rolls to be creamy. So does my son I guess, and I had a really hard time getting him to eat this.

The food wasn’t too bad with some slight misses, but man was the service brutal. The servers looked like they didn’t want to be there, and they looked like they didn’t want us there. While some of the food was good, it really wasn’t that special. I don’t think I will need to return.

]]>https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/kyoto/feed/0Kyoto - Sashimi BoatkkptseKyoto - Sashimi BoatKyoto - Chop Chop TemakiKyoto - Toro NigiriKyoto - Small Special SaladKyoto - ChawanmushiKyoto - California RollKyoto Japanese Cuisine Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoGarden Bakeryhttps://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/garden-bakery/
https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/garden-bakery/#respondSun, 13 Sep 2015 03:40:54 +0000http://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/?p=5613Continue reading →]]>So I find out an interesting fact while I was in Edmonton – you cannot get dim sum anywhere before 10:00am. Seriously. We were planning to meet our cousins for dim sum and my aunt was like, how’s 10:30am? I’m like that’s kind of late for breakfast, can we do 8:30am? She laughs and says… yeah, no restaurant open that early. I didn’t believe her but why shouldn’t I? After all, she does live in Edmonton! So we decided to meet for dinner instead but still needed to have breakfast! We’ve came to Garden Bakery a few years back and thought they were ok. Plus, they open at 9:00am!

The restaurant is your typical HK cafe style with lots of variety on their menu. They also have a bakery attached to the side. I don’t remember ever trying their baked goods…

Beef Balls in Soup ($4.75) with Vegetable Add-On ($1.50)

I didn’t want anything heavy for breakfast and I didn’t want to load up on anything carby, so I thought some protein and veggies would be a good choice. This was pretty tame – taste exactly as it looks.

Breakfast Combo: $7.00

My mom went with the Chinese breakfast combo which lets you choose a congee and dim sum item. She got the house special congee with the pan fried turnip cake. I didn’t try it – huge portions though!

Beef Rice Roll – $4.50

I got this for the daughter. The beef is actually chopped up bits, not normally in the soft, tender, minced “cake” form. I didn’t really like it but my daughter happily ate about 1/3 of it.

French Toast – $4.00

My son didn’t know what he wanted to eat and then he saw the picture of the French Toast on the menu and picked that. So HK style French Toast is kind different than the Western one. It’s usually two slices of toast with some condiment slathered in between, battered, deep fried and served with a buttery syrup. The one here had a crap load of peanut butter in between and served with the most sickeningly sweet syrup ever. It was a heavy, gooey mess. My son didn’t want to eat more than half of it.

I remember the quality of food to be a lot better from my last visit, but I didn’t like the food very much this time. My cousins told me at dinner later that they have gone downhill quite a bit… damn, wish I knew. Anyways, they may be good for a quick bite if you’re in the area, but don’t expect anything spectacular.

]]>https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/garden-bakery/feed/0GB - Beef Ball SoupkkptseGB - Beef Ball SoupGB - CongeeGB - Radish CakeGB - Beef RollsGB - French ToastGarden Bakery & Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoShanghai Grillhttps://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/shanghai-grill/
https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/shanghai-grill/#respondSat, 12 Sep 2015 20:16:06 +0000http://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/?p=5606Continue reading →]]>As Calgary doesn’t have any actual Shanghai restaurants, I am always on the radar when traveling to see where I can get some soup dumplings. Last time I tried Shanghai 456 and I didn’t really like theirs. So I did some research and found Shanghai Grill and they had some decent reviews.

We decided to do a lite lunch and only tried three things:

Marinated Jellyfish – $9.95

We love jellyfish. The texture is not for everyone (like, for my son. He make sure to tell me everytime that he will not eat any jellyfish) but it’s low in calories and pretty filling! So this was nicely marinated and flavorful, but it was quite spicy and I didn’t know it was going to be. Yes, I don’t like spicy foods. I actually can’t physically eat it anymore as it gives me cramps every time, even with the tiniest amount. So yes, I suffered for a few hours after this meal. Other than the spice, it was good.

Shanghai Soup Dumplings (xiao long bao) – $8.95

The soup dumplings here were actually pretty decent! The skin was thin and there was a nice amount of soup inside. The meat was soft and tender. My daughter loved it!

Starch Sheets (fen pi) with Shredded Chicken – $12.95

Starch sheets are also one of my favorite staples at a Shanghai restaurant and for this, they actually told us it is made spicy. We asked if they can make it less spicy since the kids will be eating it, and then they said well in that case we’ll leave the spicy sauce on the side. I wish they had told us that for the jellyfish too! The starch sheets were prepared nicely with an ample amount of shredded chicken and cucumber but was coated with way too much sesame sauce.

I’d love to come back here for dinner next time! Service was pretty good and friendly and food was pretty decent overall. Prices are slightly on the high side but I would definitely return again.

]]>https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/shanghai-grill/feed/0SG - XLB 2kkptseSG - JellyfishSG - XLBSG - XLB 2SG - ChickenShanghai Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoCorso 32https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/corso-32/
https://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/corso-32/#respondSat, 12 Sep 2015 19:38:12 +0000http://followmyfoodtrail.wordpress.com/?p=5595Continue reading →]]>I decided to drive to Edmonton spur of the moment and of course had to make sure to check out some foodie worthy places! One such place was Corso 32, a very popular Italian place that seems to be very well received on social media. However, making a reservation was near impossible (with only one week notice) and the only openings were after 9:00pm… who eats dinner that late? Well, not moms with babies anyway! So the night before I left I decided to try my luck again and what do you know, there was a 5:00pm opening! It was a bit early, but better than not getting to eat there at all!

So on the day of, I received a text via the Yelp SeatMe system to confirm my reservation which is kind of neat! I sent back my confirmation, headed out to the restaurant and when I got there, the hostess informed me that I had cancelled my reservation. Good thing I still had my text and it indeed showed that I confirmed. So my table was given away to a walk-in, but she was understanding and moved to the communal table instead. Then sometime later she was moved to a different table that supposedly cancelled, too. I don’t seem to be having much luck with reservations lately huh?

Getting all of that out of the way, we proceeded to have a lovely dinner with excellent service from our server. Here’s what we tried:

We didn’t want to over order and I wanted to try more than one appetizer, so I figured one piece per person should be plenty. Now, I’ve never had arancini before so I have no idea what they should taste like beyond a deep fried risotto ball, but wow, these were delectable! Rich, gooey and flavorful; these were just the perfect bites. And the batter was seriously paper thin and ultra crispy!

Fried Short Rib – $16Shaved Pear & Arugula Salad, Crostini

I’ve never had short rib that was melt-in-your-mouth tender, rich, soft, pate-like. Like, never. This was exactly that. Initially I wasn’t sure why crostinis were served with it but because the short rib is really heavy you definitely need the salad and the crostini to help give it some contrast.

We decided to get two pasta dishes to share, and this was one of them. All of their pastas are made by hand and wow, they are nothing like other handmade pastas I’ve had. I will say the texture is more chewy, dense and flavor wise more eggy. It was a bit too chewy for my baby daughter, but everyone else loved it. And the sauce? You know how they say simple is best? This dish was simplicity at its best. I will eat this again. And again. AND AGAIN!

Daily Feature: Papparadelle – $24

This was the feature pasta that night and I couldn’t remember what all the components were, except it was in a rich cream sauce with cured pork. I find that I don’t like the broader noodles as much since the pasta dough itself is chewier, this particular shape made the noodles a bit too firm in my opinion.

We purposely didn’t finish our pastas just so we can indulge in this dessert. So my mom goes, yeah, I don’t really like dessert anyway so I’ll only have a bite or two. She tries a spoonful and then says wow, why is this so good? And just like that half of it was gone… This has to be the best, lightest, creamiest, smoothest, tastiest panna cotta I’ve ever had. I love panna cotta, no doubt about that, but this one here… it was so good. It was perfect. If you go to Corso and can only try one thing (what a silly scenario right? But seriously…) you must eat this!

This meal was definitely a highlight of our trip and I would not hesitate to return. I may not easily get a table, but I did see that they do takeout! Prices are pretty reasonable for the quality and the portions are just right.